Motion picture-sound apparatus



Sept. 15, 1931. c. L. HEISLER 1,323,737.

MOTION PICTURE SOUND APPARATUS Filed March 27. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I.

Inventor- CharLes L. HeLsLer, b5 TILS Attorney.

'Sept- 5, 1931- c. L. HEISLER v MOTION PICTURE SOUND APPARATUS Filed March 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Char'Les L. HeLsLer' HLs Attorney.

Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE cHARLEs' L. 31:15 m, on sonnNEc'rAnY, NEW Yonx, ASSIGNOR 'ro, GENERAL ELEC- 'rnrc COMPANY, A CORPORATION on NEW YORK MOTION PTCTURE-SOUND APPARATUS Application filed March 27, 1929. Serial No. 350,404.

My invention relates tomotion picture sound producing apparatus and particularly to such ap aratus in which the sound is reproduced rom a phonograph record. One

object of my invention is the provision of improved apparatus of this character which shall enable the operator readily to make such adjustments of thepicture projecting and the sound record portions of theapparatus as are 10 ditions without affecting the synchronism of found desirable under various operating conthe pictures and sounds produced. Another object of my invention is the provision of an improved construction of such apparatus which is characterized by its simplicity, efiiciency, accessibility of parts and economy of manufacture.

My invention will be better understoodparatus embodying my inventionyFig. 2 is.

a plan view of the same with portions broken away; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views drawn to a larger s'cale,Fig. 5 being asectionaI view on line 55 of Fig. 4.

The apparatus comprising my invention and which I am about todescribe may for convenience of description be considered as comprising threemain parts, namely, the pic'- ture projectingpart 1, the sound reproducing part 2, and the common supporting member or base'3. The picture projecting part 1 comprises the base bracket 4, atthe rearof which isthe usual lamp housing 5 and'at the front of which is. the casing 6 containing the film moving mechanism, the optical system, etc. and to which are secured the film magazines 7 and 8. Inasmuch as the mechanism within the casing 6 forms no part of my pres ent invention, the same is not shown or described. For driving the film and also the phonograph record, to be described later,

I employ a suitable electric motor 10 which,

for example, may be a regulated direct current motor or a synchronous alternating current motor. I have shown the motor 10 supported on an extension of the supporting bracket 4 and on the shaft of the motor I have shown the pinion 11 in the gear casing 12 meshing with the ear 13 through which motion is transmittef to the mechanism in the casing 6. It will be understood that the gearing shown is illustrative only of a suitable drive connection between the motor and the film driving apparatus within the casing.

The supporting member or base 3 is shown as an A-shaped structure having a mounting head 15 at the apex, a pair of front legs 16 and 17 to which are attached the rollers 18 and a rear leg member 19. The latter has the pivotally attached feet 20 and the shank' 21 which fits in an inclined bore in the base and is rigidly clamped therein by the bolt and nut 22. The mounting head 15, in order to provide a suitable pivotal mounting for the bracket 4 supporting the motion picture-apparatus which is of relative heavy construction, is provided with the machined inner cylindrical bearing surface 24 which is en aged by the rabbet 25 on the depending ange 26 of bracket 4. On the opposite side of the mounting head is a" similar cylindrical bearing surface 27 which is engaged by a rabbet on the turn- 7 table supporting bracket 28. These two cylindrical bearing surfaces are not necessarily of the same diameter but are on the same axis. The two brackets 4 and 28 are held in place on the head 15 by means of the single bolt 30 having the nuts 31 and 32 on opposite ends thereof. Bolt 30 also has the flange 33 which bears against the central portion of the mounting head and by means of which the turntable bracket may be adjusted on the base without disturbing .the adjustment thereon of the picture projector. Tilting of the bracket 4 supporting the picture projector is effected by rotating the hand wheel 35 on shaft 36 which through worm 37 rotates the worm segment 38 on bracket 4. This mechanism provides for tilting the projector to the greatest angle ordinarily required. In some cases, however, such for example as where the projection room is located close to the ceiling of the theatre, the

amount of tilt obtainable with the hand wheel 35 is not sufiicient. In that case additional tilt is obtained by raising the rear portion of the base, afterfirst loosening the clamping nut 22, when the shank 21 of the leg member 19 slides outwardly in its socket, the feet 20 remaining on the floor. Because of the inclination of the shank socket the base will remain in whatever tilted position it is released, the nut 22 being subsequently tightened for safety. This construction of the base and the mounting thereon of the projector bracket 4 has been described and claimed in my Patent 1,778,635, Oct. 14, 1930. Tilting of the base obviously destroys the level of the turntable but from the description already given it will be seen that all the operator needs to do to restore the turntable to an approximate horizontal position after the base has been tilted in the manner described is to loosen the nut 32, swing nut 50 which is secured to the bushing in lower bearing and which by the use of a suitable gasket prevents the loss of oil at this point. tion 53 arranged between the shaft 47 and the upper shaft bearing 48. Inasmuch as the turntable and the phonograph disks which it is adapted to support arerelatively large in diameter and heavy I have provided a yielding connection between the worm wheel52 and the turntable. This connection is shown as comprising two pairs of cushioning springs 55, eachpair having its adjacent ends attached to a pin 56 in the upper side of the worm wheel and its opposite ends attached to ears 57 on the under side of the turntable. Under normal running conditions Lie springs of each pair operate under approx mately equal tension since the resistance I offered by the stylus of the pick-up device is negligible. When starting, however, particularly when the apparatus is driven by a motor having a high starting torque, such for example, as a synchronous motor when thrown directly on the line, I have found it desirable to provide some form of yieldable connection between the motor and the'turntable. Then the sound to be reproduced from the phonograph record is of such a character that synchr'onism must be maintained with the moving picture, the film record and the phonograph record each is pro- VVorm wheel 52 has the sleeve por-.

vided with a mark of some sort at or near the beginning of each and the driving means of the two records connected to operate in synchronism. The film is threaded through the projector and left with the marked portion in some predetermined place such as the aperture in the gate- The phonograph record is placed on the turntable with the stylus resting on the record at the marked point thereof. Upon closing the motor circuit, the driving means of the film and phonogaph records quickly accelerate to full speed.

ecause of the relatively large moment.of inertia of the turntable and alsoof the record disk thereon, the driving connection if rigid between the motor and the turntable would be subjected to severeoverload which might cause excessive Wear at certain points of the gearing which gearing it should 'be noted must be constructed With a high degree of precision in order to obtain that uniform vibration-free rotation'of the disk necessary for the best reproduction. The motor itself under such conditions of starting would also be heavily overloaded at the moment of starting and a too sudden acceleration of the turntable might cause the record disk unless fixed to the turntable to slip thereon and spoil the synchronism. The double spring connection which I have provided between the worm gear 52 and'the turntable 45 serves not only to provide for the desired yield between motor and the turntable but in addition it automatically returns the turntable after any angular displacement due to starting to the proper position to preserve synchronism of picture and sound.

As shown in Fig. 3 the turntable bracket 28 is constructed to provide an oil well in which operate .the worm gear 52 and the worm 60, the shaft of which is journalled in the bracket and is driven from the motor 10 through the counter shaft 61. This shaft is shown connected with the motor shaft by spiral gearing 62 and with the worm shaft by bevel gears 63 and 64. Counter shaft 61 is enclosed in the tube 65, one end of which is secured to the gear housing 66 which in turn has a sleeve surrounding the worm shaft and journalled in the turntable bracket. The axis of the Worm 60 and its shaft are in alinement with the axis of the two cylindrical mounting surfaces 27 and 24 in the bearing head 15 of the base whereby separate and independent adjustments of the picture pro jecting apparatus and the phonograph apparatus may be made relative to the common base without affecting the drive connection between those apparatus; I

k In the construction of the turntable operat- I ing mechanism I have made special provision for the convenient removal of the turntable, its shaft, the worm gear, etc., as a unit, there by to facilitate the inspection or repair of these parts. Secured to the central or hub portion of the turntable 45, which has already been described as fixed to the shaft 47, are the two depending screws 68 which project through arcuate slots 69 in the central portion of the worm gear 52. The heads of the screws are spaced from the worm gear and ample clearance is provided between the screws and the walls of the slots. The turntable is thereby allowed certain freedom of angular movement relative to the worm gear under the restraint of the springs but nevertheless is connected with the worm gear in such a .manner that the turntable, shaft, worm gear, etc., may be lifted as a unit from the bracket 28, the worm of course remaining in its place. Suitable provision, such as a pump, not shown, is made for supplyin the upper bearing 48 for the turntable shaft and worm gear with oil from the oil reservoir formed in the bracket 28. 4

Because of the above described spring connection between the turntable and the worm gear,,the turntable would, under certain conditions, have a tendency to oscillate. This would be objectionable and particularly so if it should occur during the reproduction of speech or music. I have therefore provided a friction damping device between the turntable and the worm gear comprising the slotted link 70 which is pivoted on one of the screws 68. Engaging in the slot of the link is the screw 71 threaded into the worm gear 52 and the light coil spring 72 is compressed between washers engaging. respectively the screw head and the slotted link. By this means oscillations of the turntable are prevented but the ability of the spring connection to yield is not materially affected.

While I have shown and describedthe picture projecting apparatus and phonograph apparatus as being driven jointly by a single motor, I may, under certain conditions, find it desirable to employ an individual motor foreach apparatus and mechanically connect the mechanism thereof to insure synchronous operation by means'such for example as the counter shaft and gearing through which the turntable is driven in the form of apparatus illustrated. For the reproduction of the sound recorded on the phonograph disk-I preferably employ the electromagnetic pickup'device shown at 42 which through ampli-.

fying devices of well known construction is connected to a suitable loud speaker or a battery of such, usually located behind or in the vicinity of the motion picture screen.

I have chosen the particular embodiment t described above as illustrative of my invention and it will be apparent that various. modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention which modifications I aim to cover by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States. is:

1. In combination, a base, a motion picture projector having a pivotal mounting thereon for adjustment in a vertical plane,

and a driving connection between said motor and said turntable.

2. In combination, a base having a mounting head, a motion picture projector and a phonograph turntable mounted on said head for separate adjustment on a common axis, a driving motor secured to said projector g and a drive shaft connection between the motor and the turntable.

3. In combination, a base having a mounting head provided with vertical mounting faces, a motion picture projector pivotally mounted on one face thereof, a phonograph turntable mounted on the other face of said head, a common member securing said projector and turntable to said head and a driving motor mounted on said projector and connected with said turntable.

4. In-combination, a base having a mounting head, a motion picture projector having a pivotal mounting thereon, a motor secured to said projector and having a driving connection therewith, a turntable supported by said base, and a driving connection between said motor and said turntable including a member "rotatably mounted on the axis of the pivotal mounting of said projector. 4

5. In combination, a base having a mounting head, a motion picture projector having a pivotal mounting thereon, a motor secured to said projector and having a driving connection therewith, a turntable bracket secured to said base, a turntable rotatably supported thereby, and a driving connection between said motor and said turntable including a shaft arranged coaxial with the pivotal mounting of said projector.

6. In combination, a tiltable base having .a mounting head, a motion picture projector having a pivotal mounting at one side thereof, a' motor secured to said projector and havin a driving connection therewith, a turnta le bracket having a pivotal mount ing at the other side of said head, a turntable rotatably supported thereby, and a drive connection including a rotatable member beween said motor and said turntable, said rotatable member, and the pivotal mounting of said projector and said bracket'all being on a common axls.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of March, 1929. i

' CHARLES L. HEISLER. 

